The Secretary General has informed the Security Council that he intends to appoint Soren Jessen-Petersen
as head of the U.N. mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and his Special Representative there. The appointment of the
veteran international civil servant from Denmark was welcomed as an indication that, after a string of
failed administrators, the Secretary General may be serious about restoring normal life to the
tormented Kosovars, while reviving the U.N. paralysis there. Almost all previous appointments by
Annan for that post produced no results -- indeed negative results -- either because they lacked the
qualifications or they didn't really care enough.

Harri Holkeri of Finland stayed for only 9 months as U.N. Administrator for Kosovo. His health was
failing. So was his administration. Now, U.N. officials are considering a replacement. A short list
was drawn. It included Steffan Demistura, an Italian/Swede who is a representative for South
Lebanon. Another name floated was that of Kai Eide, a Norwegian Ambassador in Europe who was asked
to investigate recent violence in the Province. The Departments of Peacekeeping and Political Affairs
prepared the usual evaluation. It depends on how a presentation was made to the Secretary General.
That will be influenced by Michael Moller (Denmark) who coordinates peacekeeping, political
and humanitarian at the Secretary General office. Chef de Cabinet Iqbal Riza would certainly inject
his input although he may have a conflict of interest there. One of the candidates, Demistura, had
obligingly recruited his son Imren Riza, evading staff rules. Otherwise, someone like Demistura
with experience in nearby Italy and South Lebanon would quality at least for consideration. Except
that in Pristina, photo opportunities are not enough to deal with simmering, occasionally violent
tension. A different approach may be required, particularly that new challenges to the U.N. will
be expected next fall. Already, one local player Hachem Tachi, former Kosovo Liberation Army leader
turned politician, is claiming that in its ineffective shape, the U.N. mission there will have no
use.

Unfortunately, Kofi Annan's successive appointments in Kosovo were made for external political
expediency and not for actually running an efficient people oriented operation. Except for Bernard
Kuchner who knew how to handle Kosovars and win the media but was seen as anti-Serb, the record
is quite unimpressive. Five representatives in five years -- an average of one per year -- does not
convince a traumatized people that the U.N. Secretary General is serious about their fate. After
Kuchner, Hans Hakkerup descended from Denmark behaving like he was Prime Minister but with no back up
resources. He was disliked openly by the Albanian majority without winning the Serbs or others. Michael
Steiner was hated by everyone. His arrogance provoked even his own compatriots. It was commonly
known that his appointment was an accommodation to the German Chancellor after an embarrassing
national scandal at Moscow airport. When the noise faded, he was retaken by his government as its
U.N. Geneva envoy. When Harri Holkeri took over, the former General Assembly President boasted that
his advantage other others was that he had never been to Kosovo. And he proceeded to demonstrate
his ignorance. He gave the impression that he never read his briefings, nor was he interested in
anything to do with his daily duties. During his nine month administration, civil services were at a
standstill and worse: no water, no electricity, and no work. The economy was sliding and security
non-existent. No one in New York wanted to know. The Representative in Kosovo was THE Representative:
unquestioned even while the Province -- and the U.N. reputation -- was going downhill.

That is why the new appointment is crucial, not only for the victimized Kosovars who underwent years
of displacement, deaths and poverty, but for the U.N. itself. Let us have at least ONE success story
in this bleak string of failures. All the best wishes for Soren Jessen-Petersen.